Martin's Mystery
by xSlytherinxPrincessxVampirax
Summary: Martin and Diana made a new friend on their summer trip to the USA. The day before term starts, she shows up at Torrington.
1. Chapter 1

Yippee! Finally posting my Martin Mystery fic! Enjoy!

* * *

"Diana!"

"Oof—" Diana lurched forward as someone pounced on her back, a feminine voice squealing in her ear. "What—Laelani?'

"What up?" Laelani giggled, stepping back and grinning excitedly. Her brown hair was cut into dramatic, punk-like layers, falling in slight waves down to her mid-back. It was naturally a light brown, almost blonde, as Diana had seen over the summer, but was now dyed a darker shade. She'd added bright red streaks, as well. Her bangs were long and choppy, angled slightly to the left and falling into her blue-green eyes. The ends of her bangs were jaw-length, framing her face. Her skin retained just a hint of a tan from the summer California sun.

"W-what are you doing here at Torrington?"

"Duh, I'm here for school, silly!"

"Wait—What?!"

"You heard me."

"I can't believe it!" Diana gasped.

"Neither could I when Dad recommended it."

"Your dad did?" Diana asked, surprised.

"Yep!" She quipped, popping the P. "Kaila is traveling, since she graduated early, and

Dad thought—"

"Lae?"

Laelani turned around at the sound of her nickname. She beamed when she saw Martin standing behind her, looking entirely befuddled.

"Hey, Marty! How's it hangin'?" she grinned.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was actually just explaining that to Diana. See, my twin sister, Kaila, is traveling,

and, as twins, we've never been apart for more than a few days. So, school was going to be super weird for me this year, and Dad suggested that it might be easier for me to adjust to high school without her if I went abroad. He's not ready for two daughters overseas, though, so he sent me to Canada instead. Different country, different scenery, different environment and people, but same continent," she giggled.

"I didn't know you had a twin sister," he said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Martin," she laughed. "We've only spent a grand total of, like, a week together."

"Yeah, I guess. Whatever," he shrugged dismissively. "Hey, if you're twins, then why are you still in school but she's not?"

"She took a lot of summer courses and graduated early," she explained. "I spent my summers relaxing on the beach, messing around, and sleeping."

"She sounds like Diana," he said dryly.

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" Diana glared at him.

Laelani laughed again. "I guess it might sound that way, but Kai just wanted to get out ASAP."

"I guess I'm with her on that, but I prefer your way of doing things. I wouldn't mind seeing you on the beach again," he said suggestively, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Laelani giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist. She turned her head away and looked up at him coyly, flirting.

Diana watched in horror as her friend flirted with her stepbrother. She could've sworn Laelani was even blushing! The world was falling apart, until Laelani made her next move.

"You wish," she said, pushing him away.

Diana let out a sigh of relief as Martin pouted and Laelani giggled and patted him on the head, like he was a dog.

"Y'know," Laelani said, suddenly serious, "you're never going to get a real girlfriend if you're constantly flirting with everything with boobs."

"Huh?" Martin looked at her, confused.

Laelani was silent for a moment, looking away.

"Never mind," she sighed. "Hey, Diana, come help me find my room!"

She grabbed Diana's hand and bounced away, back to her usual peppy self, leaving behind a very confused Martin.

As Laelani chattered away happily, Diana couldn't stop pondering the way Lae had blushed when Martin had put his arm around her; she definitely hadn't imagined it, and she was fairly certain it hadn't been faked. She normally wouldn't have given it much thought, but the image burned into her brain left her no choice—the sad look on Laelani's face when she had told Martin he wouldn't get a girl by flirting all the time. She couldn't get the image out of her head.

* * *

Pretty please review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe I have homework on the first day!" Jenni whined, laying her head down on the lunch table dejectedly.

Diana patted her back consolingly. Laelani, on the other hand, didn't seem to even hear her. She was staring off past her friends, across the lunchroom. She was attempting to be covert in her study of the blond-haired paranormal enthusiast, but it was obvious that her attention was elsewhere.

"Lae? Earth to Laelani! Anyone home?" Diana waved a hand in front of Lae's face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Di. I was thinking..."

"I noticed. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, everything's fine," she assured her, smiling.

"Then what had you so deep in thought?"

"I… I don't remember…" Lae looked away, frowning.

"You don't remember?" Diana frowned worriedly.

"No…. Ah! Don't look so worried, Di! I just zone out sometimes. I'll zone out forever and then have no idea what I was thinking about. No biggie!" Laelani waved her hand in the air, attempting to do so dismissively but ending up looking frantic.

"Well…. If you say so.…" Di didn't sound convinced.

She looked behind her, trying to see if anything looked interesting enough to catch Lae's attention so intensely. The most interesting thing she could find was Martin sitting on a table with his head on the seat, reading one of his stupid monster-alien-whatever magazines—and that was only interesting because one of the lunch ladies was yelling at him for putting his butt on the table.

"I say so," she quipped.

"Ok…."

"She said she's fine, Di, so leave her alone," Jenni sighed. Lae flashed her a grateful smile, but it quickly faded as she resumed her complaints about school, homework, and how "only the loser boys" like her.

"I'll see you guys later," Laelani said, standing.

Martin looked up at the sound of a lunch tray landing on the table next to him.

"Hey, Martin!" Laelani grinned. "What's up? Mind if I sit with you?"

"Nope. Couldn't take any more of Diana's nerdiness?" he grinned back.

She laughed. "Try Jenni's complaining."

"Oh, what's wrong with her?" he asked, looking behind him at Jenni's depressed form.

"What's _not_ wrong with her?" she sighed, laying her head on the table.

Martin didn't respond.

"Martin? Martin? Hey!"

"Wha? Oh, sorry, Lae. What's up?"

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"You ignoring me! Were you—were you ignoring me to stare at Jenni?!"

"What? I wasn't ignoring you—"

"Don't lie, Martin. That's just cruel. Look, if all you're gonna do is gawk and drool over Jenni, I'll just leave," she started to get up.

"Hey—c'mon, Lae," he grabbed her arm, "why is it such a big deal if I look at Jenni?"

Laelani froze. Her mind raced to come up with a logical reason. Something other than her original one….

"Lae?"

"…Because I came here because she was annoying me, and now the person I came to talk to in order to escape the annoyance is _staring_ at the annoyance."

"Oh. Sorry, Lae."

She sighed and sat back down. "Forget it. I'm sorry for going all crazy-psycho-bitch on you. Anyway, what'cha reading?"

"This month's issue of Paranormal Monthly. It came in the other day, but I haven't had a chance to read it until now."

"Oh, cool. Paranormal, like ghosts and stuff?"

"Ghosts, vampires, zombies, aliens—all kinds of awesome stuff!" He grinned enthusiastically.

"Like real-life stuff?"

"Of course," he said, like he couldn't believe she had thought it could be otherwise.

"Sweet! Real-life horror stories…. That's so cool!"

He looked at her in surprise. "You think it's cool?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" she tilted her head curiously.

He shrugged. "People usually just tell me it's stupid to believe in it."

"Oh. Well, I think—"

"C'mon, Lae, the bell rang! We're gonna be late for class!" Diana grabbed Laelani's arm and yanked her toward the doors, tearing her away from her sentence.

"H-hey!" Laelani stumbled, glancing back at Martin as Diana pulled her further and further away.

She was pleased to see that Jenni was gone, but still...

"I was talking to Martin…" she mumbled, too quiet for Diana to hear.

Martin watched his stepsister drag Laelani away, wondering what she was about to say.

* * *

Laelani sighed, flopping down on her bed. She'd come to a conclusion over the course of her first day at Torrington.

Boys suck.

She groaned when someone knocked at her door. She rolled off the bed to open it.

"We need to talk," Diana said.

"Umm, ok…? Come on in," she stepped back to let her in. "What's up?"

"Do you seriously like Martin?"

She sure didn't waste any time.

Laelani blushed, shuffling nervously. Was it really that obvious?

"O-oh, um, w-well, I, um," she stammered.

Diana sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Y-yeah…."

Diana sat on Laelani's bed, a thoughtful expression on her face. Laelani leaned against the wall, watching her friend worriedly; she was worried she'd be upset. He was her brother, after all—well, stepbrother, but still. It might make things weird that her friend liked him.

"All right, I'll help you," Diana finally said, looking up at Laelani.

"W-what?" Laelani blinked, stunned.

"I'm going to help you," Diana repeated.

"You… you don't mind? It doesn't bother you?"

"Well, it's kinda creepy, and completely gross… but if he makes you happy, then I'll support you. And you're probably the only girl in existence who actually likes him."

"Thanks, Di," Laelani gave her a relieved smile. "But, um, how are you going to help?"

"You'll see," Diana said, standing. The unspoken truth was, she had no idea—but she honestly intended to do _something_.

Laelani didn't like the sound of that.

"I'll see you later, Lae."

"Um, ok…." Laelani watched Diana leave, an apprehensive feeling building up inside of her.

* * *

Laelani groaned, slamming her head onto her desk. She was supposed to be working with Diana, but something had come up at the last minute, so she was stuck doing her calculus on her own. It wasn't particularly hard, but _damn_, she _hated _math! She hated it with a burning passion—it was the bane of her existence. She wasn't bad at it, compared to your average student, but it was her worst subject. Not to mention it was absolutely _boring!_

_OMG, _finally! _The last problem!_ She thought, sighing in relief. She finished the problem and slammed the book shut. She checked the time on her iPhone—9:09. She'd spent over an hour working on all her stupid homework. That was a lot for her, especially on the first day.

She was going to kill Diana for making her suffer alone.

Tomorrow. Right now, she was going to curl up in bed with a video game. She pulled out her DS and turned it on, quickly getting sucked into her game. _Insecticide. _She was a detective in the world of insects. Best. Game. Ever. At least at the moment.

She checked the time—it was almost midnight. As much as she wanted to keep playing, if she didn't get to sleep soon, she'd end up sleeping in class. She sighed, saving her game and putting it on the charger. She plugged in her phone, set the alarm, and slipped under the covers, fighting the urge to pick the DS back up.

Being responsible sucked.


	3. Chapter 3

Laelani glared across the grass as Martin flirted with Jenni. She felt an odd mix of satisfaction, relief, and pity when Jenni once again turned him down, walking off with Diana. It was a daily event—sometimes it happened more than once a day.

She didn't like Jenni. Jenni made her feel jealous. She didn't like feeling jealous.

She knew she shouldn't let jealousy get in the way of getting to know Jenni—if they got along, it would be so much easier to hang out with Diana. But that was part of the reason she didn't like Jenni—she was Diana's best friend. She spent a lot of time with Diana. It was a viscous cycle; Laelani wanted to spend time with Diana, Diana spent time with Jenni, Laelani was jealous that Diana spent time with Jenni so she refused to hang out with Jenni which limited the time she had to spend with Diana.

But the main problem was that Martin liked Jenni.

At least Jenni didn't like Martin, so Laelani was free to spend time with him. He'd quickly become her best friend, even above Diana.

Speak of the devil.

Martin flopped down next to Laelani, looking dejected.

"You ok, Martin?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Jenni reject you again?"

"Yeah."

She patted his shoulder consolingly.

* * *

"Hey, Laelani," Martin slid into the seat next to her.

"Oh, hey, Martin," Laelani greeted, looking up from her tray. "What's up?"

"I made a bet with Diana that she can't make it through a horror film without screaming."

"Oh, no," she giggled.

"Oh, yes! But I don't know what movie to have her watch…."

"Hmm…. Have her watch Nightmare on Elm Street. The new one—the effects are great, and personally I think Freddy is one of the greatest horror icons in existence."

"Nightmare on Elm Street, huh?" he thought for a moment. "Yeah, that oughta freak her out!"

She felt her heart skip a beat as he grinned enthusiastically at her.

"You wanna join us?" he asked.

"O-oh, um, o-ok," she nodded, smiling.

"Cool! My room, Friday night, 8:00."

"Ok, I'll be there."

* * *

_Here we go again, _Laelani thought, sighing. Martin was at it _again_—and, as always, Jenni rejected him.

"C'mon, Martin," she sighed, grabbing his sleeve. "Let's go."

She glared at Jenni, tugging him away.

"Why do you keep putting yourself through this, Martin?" she asked softly, staring down at her feet as they walked.

"What do you mean?"

"Every day you flirt with _Jenni,_" she spat the name out with distaste, "and every day she rejects you. Why do you keep doing it?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "She's cute."

She growled.

"And I'm used to it," he added. "Why don't you like Jenni?"

"Don't change the subject."

"No, really, Lae," he pressed. "Why do you dislike her so much?"

Lae sighed.

"She's just… bleh. She just annoys me."

"Uhh ok…."

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothing!" he held his hands up defensively. "What's got you all riled up?"

"Sorry," she muttered. "Jenni puts me in a bad mood."

"I've noticed."

"It… it also bothers me… the… cycle…."

"Cycle?" he blinked, confused.

"You know. You flirt, she rejects. I-I don't like it. I don't like seeing you get hurt—I want you to be happy."

"It really doesn't bother me as much as you think, Lae. I mean, she's cute, but it's not like I'm in love with her or anything." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"You're not?" she looked up at him, looking surprised.

"Of course not. She's just cute. Lots of guys like her."

"Yeah, I know," she grumbled. "Well, as long as you're ok."

"Of course I am," he grinned.

"Good. C'mon—we need to go finish our science project; it's due tomorrow!"

Martin groaned as Laelani grabbed his arm and dragged him off toward the lab.

"On second thought, I'm kinda upset—"

"Not gonna work, Marty."

He groaned again.

* * *

"Hey, Lae!" Martin grinned, holding his door open for her.

"Hey, Martin," she grinned back, walking in.

She was surprised at how clean it was; the clothes had been tossed into a corner, and the blanket was actually on the bed. Not particularly neatly, but still.

"You picked up," she noted.

"Di said she'd bring food if I did," he shrugged, flopping down onto the bed.

"So that's the key," she laughed, sitting down next to him.

"Yep," he grinned up at her. "Ready to see Diana freak?"

"Of course. It's always fun to see people freak."

"I-"

He cut off at a rap on the door.

"C'mon in, Di!" he called.

Diana growled, the doorknob jiggling a few times before the door finally opened.

"Martin!" she glared at him, nearly dropping the bags in her arms as she kicked the door closed.

"What?" he asked innocently, looking up at her.

She just hissed and turned to Laelani.

"Did he at least get the door for you?" she asked, dropping the food onto the bed.

"Yeah," Laelani nodded. "Held it for me and everything."

"At least he has manners with _some_ people..." Diana sighed.

"What're manners?" he joked, grinning.

Diana glared at him. Laelani giggled, and Diana's glare shifted to her.

"What?" she asked. "I thought it was funny."

Diana sighed again, opening a bag of chips.

"Let's just get this over with..."

Laelani jumped up to turn off the lights while Martin started the movie. She slid back into her spot between Martin and Diana, grabbing a box of candy and a soda.

Diana made it to Kris' death before she screamed.

Laelani wasn't sure whether to pity her or be impressed that she lasted even that long; she'd kinda expected her to break when Krueger made Dean slit his own throat. I.e., the first scene.

Martin paused the movie and turned on the lights while Laelani calmed Diana down.

"You ok, Di?" she asked, hugging her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Diana sighed. "I'm gonna go back to my room."

"You sure? You want me to come with you?"

"No," Diana shook her head, "stay and finish the movie with Martin."

"I've already seen it. At least let me-"

"I'm fine, Lae, really," Diana insisted. "Stay and finish the movie."

"Well, if you're sure..." Laelani frowned slightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Diana smiled at her friend and stood to leave, handing Martin $20 on her way out.

"Bye, Di!" Laelani called after her.

She sighed as Martin sat back down beside her.

"I kinda feel bad," she frowned.

"Why?" he asked, looking at her oddly.

"Because she really hates scary movies."

"She agreed to it," he shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she sighed again and leant against him as he pressed play.

* * *

Laelani blinked her eyes blearily, trying to get her bearings.

This was definitely not her room.

She sat up, looking around.

Martin's room...Martin's bed…Martin's…oh—Martin.

She giggled as she watched the blond sleep. He looked cute. Well, he always looked cute, but...it was a different cute. He was quiet, too, which was a rare occurrence when he was awake. He rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before looking over at her.

"Hey, Lae," he grinned.

"Hey, Marty," she smiled back at him.

He sat up, shaking his hair, and she giggled.

"Goofball," she laughed, standing and stretching. "I'll catch ya later."

"Leaving already?" he teased.

"Well I've already been here all night," she grinned. "I need a shower. Just text me, 'kay?"

"Ok. Later, Lae."

"Ciao."

She shut the door behind her, sighing lightly. A soft smile settled on her face as she walked to her own room. She locked her door behind her and started picking through her clothes.

"I can't believe I spent the night with him," she muttered under her breath. "I don't even remember falling asleep…."

She grabbed her phone charger and went into the bathroom. She plugged the phone in, set her clothes on the counter, and turned the water on. She hummed softly as she stripped and stepped in the shower.

"Oh, well," she sighed, "it's not like anything happened."

She paused in mid-shampoo.

Nothing happened.

Right?

….

Nah.

She'd definitely remember if something had happened.

Kinda disappointing.

* * *

Thanks for reading :) If you haven't seen the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Diana basically made it to the third (I think?) scene. The first scene is where Dean dies in the cafe, the second scene is Dean's funeral, where Kris (his girlfriend) sees a picture of them together as kids, but she doesn't recall knowing him before high school, and the third scene is where Jesse (Kris' ex-boyfriend) shows up at her house and keeps her company while she sleeps, and she's attacked and killed by Freddy Krueger in her dream.

She gets thrown around the room like a rag doll and sliced open. Pretty cool. A lot of people don't like the scene, saying that the original is better, but I prefer this version. I've only seen one or two scenes of the original, but I personally like the remake better. I think the FX are great-others think they're overdone. But to each his own :) Besides, I didn't see the original first, so that probably helps.

Anyway, please review and read on!


	4. Chapter 4

"Laelani!"

"Huh?" Laelani looked up from her book to see Martin running toward her. "Oh, hey, Martin."

"Hey. What'cha doin'?" he flopped down on the grass next to her, leaning against the tree.

"Reading."

"Um… sounds fun?" he said uncertainly.

She giggled, nodding.

"Uh-huh, it's a good book!"

"Uh, if you say so. You wanna grab some pizza?"

"I say so," she grinned, "and pizza sounds great!"

"Cool," he grinned back, jumping to his feet.

She held her hands out, grinning up at him. He blinked, then laughed and pulled her up. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked with him to the little pizza place on campus.

"So, how do you like Torrington?" he asked.

"It's nice," she said, popping a piece of pepperoni in her mouth. "I'm really glad you and Diana are here."

"Whas zhat?" he asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"Well, you guys are really good friends," she said, looking down at the table. She didn't tell him that that was only part of the reason.

"I'm the fun one though, right?"

She giggled.

"Diana's not as boring as you make her out to be, Marty."

He just gave her a blank look, not believing her.

"Yes, you're the fun one," she rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" he punched a fist in the air, making her laugh again.

"You're so weird," she giggled.

"That's a good thing, though, right?"

"Yeah, Martin. It's a good thing," she smiled softly.

"Good. 'Cause Diana tells me that a lot, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't mean it in a good way."

"Well, I think it's a good thing. It makes you that much more fun to be around. I really do enjoy hanging out with you, Martin."

"Yeah, I like hanging out with you, too. You're not like most of the girls around here."

"Why, because I don't intentionally ignore your existence?" she grinned.

He pouted, glaring at her.

"I take it back," he muttered under his breath.

"Aw, c'mon, Marty! I'm just teasin' you. You know I love you," her eyes widened slightly as she realized what had just slipped out. "I-I mean—well, you know. I just… love ya, y'know?"

She tried her best not to stutter and make things worse. She prayed he didn't catch how flustered she was.

"Ah, y-yeah," he stammered, laughing nervously.

"Yeah…." she ducked her head, focusing on her pizza.

She was too freaked to even attempt to return to the casual, easy banter that typically filled the air when they were together. The atmosphere remained slightly awkward as they finished eating, neither of them quite sure what to say.

"So, um, how much is the tab?" she asked digging around in her purse for her wallet.

"Oh, uh, don't worry about it."

"Let me at least pay half—"

"No," he shook his head, "it's my treat."

She blinked, giving him a slightly stunned look.

"Well… if you're sure…."

"I'm sure," he nodded, smiling. "Besides, you helped me win the bet with Diana."

"I guess that's a fair point," she smiled, standing. "Well, I better get going—I have some homework to finish. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Let me walk you back," he said, throwing some money on the table and standing.

"Ah—it's fine, you really don't have to—"

"I want to," he insisted.

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, giving him a curious and slightly suspicious look.

"It's dark out," he explained, nodding toward the window to prove his point, "I wanna make sure you get back safe. Besides, my dorm is in the same building—on the same floor, even."

"All right," she relented, sighing. Secretly she was glad he offered, and thrilled that he cared—but she didn't want him to know that. Plus, the true fact that his dorm _was _just a hall away dimmed the excitement slightly...but only slightly.

He grinned triumphantly, walking out with her. It was silent until they were just yards away from their building.

"Soo…." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"Uhh…. I dunno, just trying to fill the awkward silence," he shrugged.

She stared at him for a moment, then broke out into giggles, following him into the building and up to their floor.

"What?" he asked, confused.

She just shook her head, laughing. He pulled open the door to her hall and followed her in.

"Uhh… ook... and I'm the weird one…."

She ceased laughing, stopping steps from her door and glaring at him.

"I am not weird!" she said indignantly.

"It's a good thing, remember?" he grinned.

She looked away, blushing. He didn't see the blush, instead interpreting her refusal to look at him as her being angry with him.

"C'mon, Lae," he reached out and put his hand on her arm, "I really did mean it in a good—" he broke off as she gasped and jumped away from his touch.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, a blush staining her cheeks. He gave her a similar stare, minus the blush. He had no idea why she freaked out like that.

"Lae, are you ok?" he asked worriedly, reaching out for her again.

"I-I'm fine!" she stammered, backing away from his hand.

"Lae—"

"Um, I-I'm gonna go now," she turned and ran into her room, leaving him standing in the hallway, very confused.

"Wonder what that was all about…." He muttered, frowning and heading off in the opposite direction to his own dorm.

Laelani leaned against her door, trying to calm her racing heart. That had been the most awkward night ever. And she certainly hadn't behaved normally, particularly toward the end of the outing…. Crap. What if he asked why she'd been so weird?!

She groaned, walking toward her bed and flopping down.

Yep. Boys suck.

* * *

"Hey, Laelani—"

"I can't talk, Martin—I have to go," she darted out of the classroom, head ducked down.

She didn't even look at him.

She'd been acting weird ever since their pizza outing Monday night. She'd been avoiding him and when he tried to talk to her she ran away.

It was Thursday.

* * *

"Hey, Di, can I talk to you?"

"What is it now, Martin?" Diana sighed, looking up from her book.

Martin had found her in the library after school with Laelani; he'd waited until Laelani left to approach her.

"It's Laelani."

"What about her?" she asked, immediately concerned. She closed her book as Martin sat down across from her.

"She's been acting… weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We usually hang out all the time, but she's been avoiding me. When I try to talk to her, she runs away."

"When did it start?" she asked.

"Monday."

"Did anything happen?"

"We went out for pizza."

"Is that it?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Well…." he thought for a moment. "She seemed kinda freaked out after she said she loved me…."

"She said what?!" Diana gasped leaning forward.

"What?" he blinked. "She says she loves you all the time."

"Yeah, but—"

"I'm her friend, too, you know."

"I know, but—"

"And then when we were walking back she laughed and wouldn't tell me why, so I called her weird and she got mad at me—"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"—and when I touched her she totally freaked out and ran away," he continued, ignoring her question. "And she's been running away from me since."

"Martin, I..." Diana sighed, hesitating. "I… don't think she meant it in a friend way when she said she loves you…."

"What?" he didn't understand. "What do you mean, Di?"

Diana sighed again.

"Martin… as weird as it is..." she hesitated again before finishing. "She likes you."

"Likes me?" he blinked.

"Yes."

Martin stared blankly at the table, processing the information. Diana stifled a laugh as his face slowly turned red.

"She… she really… likes me?"

"Yes, Martin. She likes you—but don't tell her I told you!"

"Di… what do I do?" he asked, looking up at her.

"W-what?" she asked, taken aback. Her stepbrother looked completely freaked out. He really didn't have any idea what to do.

"What do I do?" he asked again, growing frantic.

"Well, first of all, calm down!" she couldn't handle a crazed Martin.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Let's go somewhere else," she stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She grabbed Martin by the arm and pulled him out of the library and to his room.

Martin sighed, sitting on his bed. Diana sat next to him. Time for one of their rare, awkward gushy-sibling moments….

"All right," she sighed. "So why are you so freaked out about this?"

"It's just…. I dunno, weird…. I mean, we're friends. Best friends. Won't this change things?"

"Martin, she's liked you the whole time. The only thing that's changed is that now you know."

"I guess…. What do I do about it?"

"Well… I can't tell you that. That depends on how you feel. Either you don't do anything and just keep going on like you have been, being friends, or you go after it. Just…." She sighed again. "Just don't hurt her, Martin."

"I won't."

It was so weird seeing him be serious. Nice, but weird.

"All right," she stood. "If you need… you can come talk to me."

"Really?"

Why was that so surprising?

"Of course. I love Laelani, and I want to see her happy. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I want you to be happy, too."

"Thanks, sis."

"Mm-hm. Choose carefully, Martin," she slipped out of his room.

Martin sighed, lying down.

He had to figure this out.

_Do I like Laelani?_


	5. Chapter 5

Laelani hummed along to "Hot" by Avril Lavigne, leaning against a tree next to the sidewalk. She was waiting for Diana. She glanced over her shoulder, into the woods. She couldn't help but wonder what might be lurking in the shadows.

She frowned slightly. She'd been waiting for a good 15 minutes; the sun had set, and it was eerily dark.

The note from Diana said 7:30; it was almost 8.

Where was she?

Probably got caught up with homework or a book….

Laelani sighed. She loved her friend, but she did _not _love waiting like this. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't dark, and/or if the meeting place wasn't so next to the woods… or if there were more people milling about. This section of campus was entirely deserted.

Maybe she should just head back, or check on Diana—

Laelani flinched, whipping her head around at a rustle in the bushes. She looked around nervously; no one appeared. Nothing happened.

_Geez, Laelani, _she mentally chided herself, _get a grip—it's probably just a squirrel or a rabbit or something…._

She shrieked as someone grabbed her arm—definitely _not _a bunny!

A hand flew over her mouth, silencing her. She struggled, but was unable to escape as another set of arms wrapped around her, picking her up. She dropped her bag to the ground, kicking and flailing in a continued—and useless—attempt to break free.

* * *

Diana lay on her bed, reading.

She looked up at the window, thinking she'd heard something. She got up and looked out, down into the yard.

Nothing.

She must've imagined it. She shrugged and returned to her book, completely oblivious to her friend's plight.

Laelani couldn't stop the tears of fright that dripped down her face as she was dragged deep into the woods.


	6. Chapter 6

Martin looked up at the sound of a scream.

"Java, did you hear that?" he asked, frowning.

"Java hear," Java nodded.

Martin took off running in the direction the scream came from. He stopped when he saw a big, slouchy black purse laying at the edge of the sidewalk; it was Laelani's purse. She carried it everywhere and stuffed everything inside.

"Laelani…." He murmured, his frown deepening.

He looked around, spotting a bit of purple cloth caught on a rosebush a few feet into the woods.

Laelani had been wearing a purple t-shirt that day.

There was a path leading deep into the forest—it wasn't a proper path, but one someone had decided to make on their own. Almost certainly whoever had Laelani.

"This way, Java!" he called, taking off down the path at a sprint, Java following close behind.

Martin froze at the edge of a small clearing, horrified at the sight in front of him. Laelani was sprawled out on the ground, spread-eagle, each wrist and ankle bound with thick rope. Her t-shirt was torn completely down the front, revealing her black bra. She was gagged with a strip of cloth and thrashing around frantically while a group of four boys tormented her, running their hands all over her body. One of them—evidently the leader—straddled her, grabbing her breasts.

Martin snapped just as the boy went to slide his hand under her skirt, tackling him to the ground. His friends stared, stunned, as Martin socked the guy in the mouth.

"Don't touch her!" he shouted.

His voice seemed to snap the other three out of their stupor, and they moved to attack him. Java grabbed two of them, hurling one at the third and knocking him to the ground. His projectile and target groaned, sitting up, but froze in terror as he loomed over them, their last friend gripped under his arm like a frightened football.

They gave up on helping their leader.

Once the creep was knocked unconscious, Martin scrambled to his feet and rushed to Laelani's side. He quickly unbound her limbs and removed the gag.

"Martin," she whimpered, her eyes filling with tears.

He pulled her to him as she broke down, sobbing.

"Shh, you're ok, Laelani," he whispered, stroking her hair and rocking back and forth. "You're safe. I'm here now, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

* * *

"Don't worry, dear, you're going to be just fine," Dr. Thomasee, the campus doctor, gave Laelani a kind smile. She was an older lady—not quite elderly, but close—with short, greying brown hair and gentle blue eyes.

Laelani didn't respond, staring blankly down at her hands.

The doctor sighed, turning to Martin.

"She'll need to be monitored for a while, at least throughout the night. I would prefer to keep her here-"

"With the amount of terror and stress she's been subjected to today," Dr. Walowitz, the school psychologist and psychology professor, interjected, "this may not be the healthiest place for her, psychologically speaking. For her mental health, I recommend she return to her room as soon as possible."

"Well, I can't leave the infirmary, since I have other patients to attend to," she turned to Martin, "but if you would be willing—"

"I'll take care of her," Martin cut her off. "We're both in the new co-ed building—on the same floor, even."

"Wonderful, then there won't be any trouble with the dorm parents. Well, I'll send some painkillers, and some bandages, in case any of her wounds need redressed—if they bleed through the bandages, get wet or dirty, or if the bandage is coming off. I'll give her a sleeping pill before you leave, so she should fall asleep shortly after you get her to her dorm. Hopefully she'll sleep through the night, but there's a good chance she won't. Nightmares are also probable—just keep an eye on her. Any questions?"

"I think I got it."

"All right. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything," she handed him a bag, gave Laelani a pill, and sent them on their way.

"C'mon, Lae," he said softly.

He put his hand on the small of her back, gently leading her toward the dorms.

When they arrived at her dorm, he pulled her key from one of the outside pockets on her purse—she always put it in that pocket—and unlocked the door. His hand returned to her back, gently pushing her into the room. He closed and locked the door, turning to find Laelani standing silently in the middle of the room, a blank expression on her face.

"C'mon, Lae, let's get you ready for bed."

She didn't respond. Didn't speak, didn't move, didn't indicate in any way that she had heard him.

"Lae?"

This was not gonna be easy.

He sighed, turning to her dresser. He uneasily pulled out drawer after drawer until he found her pajamas. He pulled out her fuzzy green pants with the cupcake pattern and a black tank top with a cupcake in the middle—she'd been wearing the outfit when he and Diana had shown up at her house one morning while on vacation in California, and she'd commented that it was her favorite. He closed the drawer and walked over to her.

"Lae, you need to change. Can you do that?"

No response.

He sighed again, steeled himself, and reached for the top button—he'd given her his red and yellow shirt to wear, since hers was torn open.

"No!" Laelani gasped, catching his wrist.

He flinched.

"Lae, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said softly. "You need to change for bed, though. I'll even step out if you want—"

"No, I won't take it off," she said quietly, her voice trembling.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"It's safe," she whispered.

He blinked, staring at her in confusion for a moment before deciding not to question it. He sighed.

"All right, Lae, you can hang on to it. You have to take the-the, uh, bra off, though—it's got dirt on it," he said, blushing slightly.

"...My sports bras are in the top right drawer..." she murmured after a moment.

He nodded and turned back to the dresser. He pulled a black one out and walked back to her.

"I got one for you."

She didn't respond. Apparently she'd reverted to her stupor.

He frowned and reached again for the shirt's top button. She didn't stop him this time, allowing him to unbutton and remove the shirt. He clenched his jaw nervously as he slid the shirt off her arms and unclasped her bra. He focused on her emotionless face as he took it off and slid the sports bra over her head, somehow managing to get it on properly-well, he was pretty sure it was on properly. He slid the tank top over her head and then slid his button-up over her arms, leaving it unbuttoned. He slid her skirt off her hips, letting it fall to the ground and pool around her feet. He lifted her off the ground and set her on the edge of her bed. He slid her feet into the pants and stood her up so he could pull them the rest of the way up. He picked her up again and laid her on the bed, sitting next to her.

"Good night, Laelani," he whispered, gently brushing her bangs away as her eyes slid closed, the medicine knocking her out cold.


	7. Chapter 7

"Laelani!" Martin grabbed the thrashing girl by the arms, shaking her gently. "Laelani, wake up!"

Her eyes suddenly flew open, her body tensing.

"Laelani?"

"Martin..." she whimpered softly. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she cried.

"Oh, Lae..." he sighed, hugging her close.

He flinched when someone banged on the door.

"Hold on, Lae—I'll be right back."

"No!" she cried, clutching at his t-shirt. "Don't leave me..."

"I'm just gonna see who's at the door, Lae," he said softly.

He kissed the top of her head and slipped from the grip. He peeked through the peephole, unlocked the door, and quickly opened and shut it, yanking Diana in.

"I heard a scream—Martin? What are you doing here—"

"Shh!" he hushed her, throwing his hand over her mouth.

"Martin?" Laelani called softly from her bed.

"Yeah, I'm coming, Lae," he called back before returning his attention to Diana. "Lae was attacked last night and Dr. Thomasee asked me to keep an eye on her.

"Oh my gosh!" Diana gasped, "Is-is she ok?"

"Pretty banged up, but nothing serious. Physically, she'll be fine. But she's really freaked..."

"Of course she's freaked!" Diana hissed. "She was-"

"Diana," he cut her off, "you don't have to tell me she has a right to be upset. I saw her! I saw them! I-I saw... I saw..."

He broke off, staring down at his feet and gritting his teeth.

"Martin? What is it? What did you see?" she spoke softly; she'd never seen him quite this shaken up.

"Di... She was... she was all tied up... gagged... They were... they were molesting her, Di. Four guys. They... I think they were gonna... gonna… rape her..."

"Oh my gosh. Martin—"

"Martin?"

"Coming, Lae," he turned and walked back to Laelani's bed, leaving Diana standing at the door in mid-sentence.

Diana sighed and followed Martin, stopping a few feet behind him. He sat down on the bed, pulling Laelani to him.

"Martin, why are you crying?" Laelani asked quietly, reaching up and wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, Lae," he smiled weakly at her. "I'm fine. Look—Diana came to see you."

Laelani looked up at Diana. Diana inhaled sharply; Laelani's face was blank, emotionless, her eyes holding just a hint of sadness—nothing at all like the bubbly girl Diana knew and loved.

"Hi, Diana."

Oh, man—even her voice sounded dead.

"H-Hey, Laelani. How are you feeling?"

"Ok. Martin saved me, Diana."

"That's great, Lae. I'm glad you're ok. Hey, I'm gonna let you go back to bed—I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

"Ok. Bye, Diana."

"Bye, Lae. Martin, come get me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Di."

She slipped out the door, and Martin locked it behind her.

"What's wrong, Martin?"

"Nothing, Lae—"

"Don't lie."

He blinked; that was the most emotion he'd heard from her that night. He sighed.

"I guess I'm a bit shaken from what happened tonight, too," he admitted.

"Why?" she asked.

"You got hurt. I... I hate seeing you hurt. I'm supposed to protect you."

"Why?" she repeated.

"Because... because you're my best friend. And I... I failed you."

"No."

"What? No what?"

"You didn't fail me. You saved me."

"But you got hurt—"

"I would've been hurt worse if you hadn't saved me."

"I... I guess—hey!"

Laelani grabbed his arm and yanked him down onto the bed. She laid her head on his chest.

"L-Lae?"

"You make me feel safe, Martin," she whispered. "I don't want to have another dream..."

She buried her face into his chest, shaking slightly. Martin sighed, wrapping his arms around her.

"You ARE safe, Lae," he whispered. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

Laelani opened her eyes, feeling a bit out of it. Why was she wearing Martin's shirt? It smelled like him... She looked over her shoulder. Whoa—yep, that was Martin lying behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

What the heck happened last night?

Well, they were both clothed—that was a good sign. The pain coursing through her body, not so good. She looked down at her arms; her left hand was wrapped in a bandage, all the way up to her elbow. Her right arm was bandaged from the wrist to about halfway up. She touched her face; there was another bandage on her left cheek. She lifted her shirt; her abdomen was wrapped in bandages, too. She was willing to bet that her legs were in a similar state—but not willing to put forth the effort to look. Damn, she hurt.

She sighed, rolling onto her back—ow. She looked over at Martin. He was so cute... Huh. Looked like he'd been in some kind of fight—his right hand was bandaged up, mostly over the knuckles. Although, he didn't seem to have any other injuries... Either he'd caught the other party off guard, or his opponent was a wall. Or just a wimp.

What on earth happened—?

_"Ready to have some fun, cutie?"_

_He sneered down at her, his greasy hair falling over his face. She could've sworn his eyes glinted red._

_She shook her head frantically, tears dripping down her face. Her arms and legs were bound and spread apart, the ropes rubbing her skin raw. A gag was in her mouth, tied tightly—too tightly; the corners of her mouth were cracked, and she could taste blood in her mouth._

_She thrashed as hard as she could, but she was unable to stop him from clambering on top of her. She sobbed harder as her shirt was torn open and she felt four pair of clammy hands on her skin. The hands ran all over her, the touches rough and uncaring. The torture seemed to go on for hours._

_Suddenly, a red and yellow blur flew by, knocking the head demon off of her and shocking the other three into paralysis._

_"Don't touch her!"_

_That was Martin's voice._

_Oh, thank goodness._

_He was punching the head demon repeatedly._

_Wait—the other three creepos were running at him—oh, Java took care of them. He threw that guy like a baseball..._

_Martin was untying her now. He took the gag off and pulled her to him._

_He was so warm and familiar. His touch was gentle, his scent crisp but soft. Safe._

_"Martin," she whimpered._

_"Shh, you're ok, Laelani," he whispered. "You're safe. I'm here now, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."_

_He stroked her hair and rocked back and forth while she cried._

_They were in the infirmary. Dr. Thomasee was bandaging up Martin's hand. She'd already cleaned Laelani up._

_Her room. Martin kept trying to get her to change, but it was like she didn't hear him._

_He dressed her and helped her to bed._

_She woke up from a nightmare—she'd been back in the woods again. Diana showed up. She was only there for a few minutes before she left._

_Martin was crying._

_Martin wasn't supposed to cry._

_She pulled him down onto the bed, cuddling up to him._

_"You make me feel safe. I don't want to have another dream..."_

_He wrapped his arms around her, making her feel even safer._

_"You ARE safe. I'll make sure of it."_

"Lae? Lae, are you ok?"

Laelani jerked, brought back to the present. Martin was awake, staring worriedly at her. She jolted into a sitting position, flinching.

Ow.

"Y-yeah, I, uh, I... no," she shook her head.

"C'mere," he sat up and pulled her to him, hugging her close.

She felt her face heat up.

"Do you remember?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. I was... They... they tried to... rape me..." she whimpered softly, gripping his t-shirt.

"...Yeah..." he tightened his arms around her.

"Hey... Martin?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for saving me, and... and for taking care of me... And for staying with me."

"Why wouldn't I, Lae? You're my best friend. You're... you're everything to me, Lae."

"Martin..." she pulled back slightly, looking up at him.

He looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact.

_OMG, he's blushing!_

She giggled, moving her arms around his neck and hugging him.

"You're everything to me, too, Martin," she whispered.

"Lae, I—"

He was cut off by a knock at the door. He sighed, getting up to answer it. He opened the door, and Diana walked in.

"Hey, Lae," she greeted, walking over to the bed and sitting down by her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Laelani smiled slightly.

Martin sat on Laelani's other side.

"That's good," Diana gave a relieved sigh. "You were really... out of it last night."

"I know. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything about last night. It wasn't until I saw the bandages on Martin's hand that it all came flooding back."

"You must've been so scared."

"Terrified. I knew what they wanted with me—and I swear, the guy in charge, he was on top of me, and I swear his eyes glowed red. It was awful. And then this... this blur flies past me, and he's gone. And then I hear Martin's voice, and I see him beating up that... that demon, and Java's got two of the other three, and he-he just chucks one of them at the third, like a baseball!" she laughed slightly. "And then Martin took off the ropes and the gag and... and he just held me... and as dumb and over-dramatic as it sounds, I knew I was gonna be ok, because he was gonna take care of me."

She suddenly realized she was crying, and wiped her eyes.

"And then he said exactly what I was thinking," she added.

"I did?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "You said 'you're ok. You're safe. I'm here and I'm not gonna let anything happen to you.'"

"Oh... I guess I did say that..." Martin scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah..." she gasped, jerking her gaze back to Diana. "Di—what time is it? Did I miss the entire school day?"

"No—it's lunch. Why?"

"I have a test in my class after the next one—if I miss it, I'll have to take the makeup test, outside of class!"

"Lae, I think the teacher will understand—"

"I can't take the chance, Di."

"You need to rest—"

"I am NOT giving up my free time to take some stupid test!"

Diana frowned, thinking.

"Well... Just that class, then."

"That's perfectly fine with me," Laelani agreed. "I don't particularly want to spend the day in a classroom."

"All right. Well, I have to get back to class. Martin, take care of her. Make sure she only goes to that class!"

"Will do. Later, Di."

"Bye, Di!"

"You realize I have to go to class if you're in class, right?" Martin sighed.

"Sorry, Marty," she grinned.

"No you're not."

"Nope, not really. Ima take a shower."

"Can I join?" he grinned.

She glared at him.

"Kidding," he held his hands up defensively.

"Uh-huh. You should go clean up, though—there's dirt all over you."

He glanced down at himself.

"Oh... Yeah, I guess I should. Will you be ok—"

"I'll be fine, Martin. I'm a big girl—I can take a shower without drowning."

"All right. I'll be back soon. Can I borrow your key?"

"Yeah, it's—"

"In the same pocket it's always in," he grinned, pulling it from her purse.

"Smart-ass," she muttered under her breath.

"What's that about my ass?" he teased, grinning.

"Out!"

He slipped out, laughing, and closed and locked the door behind him.

Laelani shook her head, chuckling, as she gathered her clothes and walked into her bathroom.

Her façade shattered the second she stepped into the shower.

She sat on the shower floor, letting the warm water run over her as tears poured down her face. She was trying to put on a brave face for Martin and Diana, but it was really hard. Her heart felt heavy and her stomach was all twisted up.

She sighed, forcing herself to stand and finish her shower.


	8. Chapter 8

"Whoa—Lae, why aren't you dressed?" Martin averted his eyes, locking the door.

Laelani was sitting on her bed in her baby blue lingerie, staring at the injuries on her arms.

"I need your help redressing the wounds," she murmured. "I had to take the bandages off."

"Oh, right. Are you... are you ok? You're acting... vacant again."

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, shaking herself from her stupor.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's just... stitches," she laughed humorlessly, holding up her stitched left hand. "I've never had stitches. And they're all over me now..."

She was right; in addition to her left arm and hand, she had two sets of stitches on her stomach, one on her right shoulder, three on her back, one going down her left leg from knee to ankle, and one on her right hip. Not to mention all the smaller cuts and abrasions. Her wrists and ankles were rubbed raw from the rope.

"I'm sorry, Lae—"

"Don't apologize, Martin," she sighed. "Just fix me!"

He blinked, surprised to see a cheeky grin cross her features. He laughed and picked up the bag from Dr. Thomasee.

"All right."

Laelani watched as he knelt in front of her, pulling a roll of bandages from the bag. He started with her left leg, slowly and carefully wrapping it. She slid her fingers into his hair, unable to resist the urge. He glanced up at her, amused, and she giggled. He finished wrapping her up and pulled out the bottle of painkillers.

"Here. You must be in pain—"

"I feel like I've been dipped in acid and lit on fire and am now being ran over by a monster truck while being ripped apart and eaten by rabid piranhas."

"Uhhhh..."

"Diet Mountain Dew Code Red. Mini fridge."

"Right," he grabbed the soda for her and handed her two pills.

"Thank you!" she popped the pills in her mouth and washed them down with the soda. "Mmm, I love this stuff!"

"Drugs?"

"No!" she whacked him with the pillow behind her. "I meant the soda!"

"Of course you did," he said sarcastically, grinning. She glared at him.

"Whatever. I need to get dressed. Help me up," she held her hands out.

She squealed as he scooped her up in his arms, giving him yet another glare.

"What?" he asked innocently. "You said up."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Want me to put you down?" he pretended to drop her.

"No!" she yelped, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him.

He laughed.

"You're mean," she whined.

He just laughed again and set her on her feet by the closet. She pulled on a Death Note t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, grabbing Martin's arm for balance. She bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment, debating over what shoes to wear. She finally settled on a simple pair of black flip-flops. She grabbed her purse and headed toward the door. Martin grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry," she said, glancing back at him.

"You need to eat something, Lae. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday and you're about to take a test."

"All right, all right," she sighed, grabbing a handful of cereal bars.

Martin smiled, following her out of the room. He locked the door behind them and handed back her key. She handed him a bar and opened one for herself, eating on the way to class.

Laelani poked her head into her classroom; they'd already started the test. Dr. Walowitz saw her and stepped out of the room.

"Laelani," he seemed surprised. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"I didn't want to miss the test."

"I see," he chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok," she smiled slightly. "A bit banged up and sore, but ok."

"That's good. You know, you don't have to take the test today. You should take some time—"

"I don't want to put it off. I'm ready right now—I know the material. If I procrastinate, I might forget things."

"All right," he conceded, "then I'll let you take it—but only on one condition.

"What condition?"

"After the test, you take a week or two off and go away somewhere. Anywhere you want. I'll even swing it so Martin can go with you."

"I think I can handle that," she grinned.

"It's a deal, then?"

"You sure you can get Martin off, too?"

"Of course. While Martin's trauma from the incident may not be as severe, he's still going to be traumatized to a degree. And even if that weren't true, I'm a psychologist—they'll take my word for it."

"Ok," she laughed, "then it's a deal."

They shook on it.

"Oh—could you write Martin a pass to class?" she asked.

"Of course," he pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket and scribbled a few sentences on it explaining the situation, signing his name at the bottom. He handed it to Martin.

"Thanks, Dr. Walowitz. Lae, wait for me after class—I'll come pick you up."

"'Kay," she nodded.

"Good luck!" he kissed the top of her head—taking silent satisfaction in the faint blush that frosted her cheeks—and headed off to class.

"C'mon, let's get you started," Dr. Walowitz lead her into the classroom, suppressing a chuckle.

Laelani ignored the stares and whispers as she made her way to the back of the class with her test.

"Why are you talking? This is a test!" Dr. Walowitz reminded them, sitting at his desk.

The whispers ceased immediately as everyone turned back to their tests.

Laelani was the first one out the door when the bell rang. She squealed as she ran right into someone—red and yellow...? She looked up, blinking in surprise and confusion.

"Martin? How'd you get here so fast? The bell just rang like 5 seconds ago..."

"Teach let me leave early to come get you," he grinned.

"Oh. That was nice."

"Yep. So how was the test?"

"Not bad," she smiled. "It was pretty easy, actually."

"That's good."

Why was his voice so soft?

"Are you ok, Martin?" she looked up at him, slightly worried.

"Yeah..."

She blinked, confused when he reached toward her. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers lightly brushed her cheekbones.

"M-Martin?" she stammered, her face heating up.

"Laelani..."

He said her name so softly, her knees felt like jelly. Her stomach summersaulted and her heart rate doubled as his hand slid behind her head. He pulled her slightly toward him and leaned down, gently pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened, and it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating—Martin was actually kissing her.

_Whoa._

Her eyes slid closed as she kissed back timidly, resting her hands on his chest. Realizing that she was reciprocating, Martin wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She slid her arms around his neck, kissing with more confidence.

The sound of wolf whistles snapped them back to reality.

Bunch'a pervs from gym class.

"That was an interesting show."

Laelani jumped, looking to her left.

"Diana!"

Diana just smiled and shook her head.

"You guys might want to wait until you're in Lae's room to continue," she suggested. "I'll come by after class."

"Oh, um, ok. See ya soon!" Laelani called as Diana walked away.

"Where do you wanna go?" Martin asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm kinda hungry," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"What do you want?"

"Mmm... Let's just go back to my room and order takeout."

"Chinese?" he guessed, walking toward the dorms.

"How'd you know?"

"You love Chinese food. You love it almost as much as you love the little boxes they bring the takeout in."

"I didn't know you knew that."

"Of course I did. I know you. Maybe not everything, but I know a lot."

"Yeah, I guess you do," she smiled, unlocking the door. She left it unlocked for Diana, texting her to let her know.

* * *

"I do love these little boxes," Laelani sighed, leaning against Martin. They were sitting on her bed eating.

"I know," he laughed.

She stuck her tongue out and snapped her chopsticks at him "threateningly."

"Ooh, scary."

"Shut up and eat," she giggled.

"Hey, Lae..."

"Hm?" she looked up at him.

"I meant it when I said you're everything to me."

She sat up, facing him.

"I know, Martin—"

"Lae, I…" he paused, putting a hand to her cheek, his thumb caressing her soft skin.

"W—"

"Iloveyou."

It was rushed, slurred together and jumbled up, but she heard it clear as day. She smiled, bringing her hand up to caress his heated cheek.

"I love you, too, Martin," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing him.

She held the kiss for only a moment before slowly pulling away. She watched as his eyes slowly opened, his cheeks still flushed. She was certain hers were just as pink.

"That's why you freaked out in the pizza shop, right?"

"Yeah," she admitted, biting her lip.

"I was so confused," he laughed, shaking his head.

"Diana cleared things up for you, I'm assuming?"

He blinked; she laughed.

"I'll have to thank her."

"Oh? Why?" he asked curiously.

"Would you have kissed me in the hall if you didn't already know how I felt about you?"

"I dunno, Lae. A few days ago, probably not. Yesterday I was still trying to figure out how I felt. But what happened last night made me realize the answer."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"When I saw what was going on, I don't think I've been that mad in my life, Lae. I wanted to rip that guy to shreds. I wanted to protect you."

"Wouldn't you have had the same reaction if it was Diana?"

He shook his head.

"If it was Di, I'd be pissed and I'd beat him up, just like I did. And I'd want to protect her from them. But I wouldn't be sizing up every guy we pass, trying to see how much of a threat he is. And I wouldn't have felt jealous of that ass for being so close to you."

His last comment made her blush. It made mental images go through her head—pleasant ones, but not ones she wanted to think about at the moment. She decided to ignore the jealousy bit for the moment.

"You were really analyzing the guys in the halls?"

"Every last one of them," he nodded.

She laughed.

"What?"

She shook her head, still laughing.

"And I'm the weird one..."

She stopped laughing abruptly, glaring at him.

"I am not weird!"

"It's a good thing, remember?" he grinned.

She looked away, blushing, a faint smile on her face.

This time, Martin saw the blush. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. She squeaked, and he laughed. She glared at him, and he kissed her cheek. She smiled, leaning back against his chest.

"Is it safe to come in?" Diana called, cracking the door open.

"Yeah, Di," Laelani laughed, "it's safe."

Diana walked in, closing and locking the door behind her.

"How was the test, Lae?" she asked, sitting in Laelani's pink, fuzzy, round foldout chair.

"Easy-peasy lemon squeezey!" Laelani chirped, grinning. "Oh, and Dr. Walowitz said he's gonna arrange for me and Martin to go away for a week or two."

"That's great! Where are you going to go?"

"Mm... I dunno... I was thinking about maybe checking in back home, or maybe see where Kaila's at and go see her."

"Do you have time to arrange all that? When do you leave?"

"Dunno," she shrugged, "but it doesn't really matter—private jet, remember? It would take about 3 hours for mine to get here—just enough time to pack and get to the airstrip."

"I forgot you had a private jet," Martin murmured. His arms were still around her, his head on her shoulder.

"Just wait 'til you ride in it," she grinned. "You'll—"

She was cut off by a knock at the door. All three heads swung toward it, wondering whom it was. Laelani rose, swinging the door open.

"Luca!" she gasped.

"Luca?" Martin gave Diana a quizzical glance; Diana shrugged.

"What are you doing here?" Laelani asked.

"They called and told us what happened," a disembodied voice floated in.

It was male, obviously. Soft but strong, and smooth.

"I can take care of myself, Luca," she hissed.

"Obviously you can't!" he snapped back. "If that guy hadn't found you—"

"Well he DID! I don't need you to babysit me! And if he HADN'T, then, yeah, I'd be a bit worse off, but I'd survive! I'd get past it and I'd be ok! I'm not a little kid!"

"Look, I'm just worried about you," he sighed. "I love you, and I don't want anything bad happening to you."

"All right," she grumbled, sighing. "I love you too. Hey—shouldn't you be in school? It's, like, 1:00 in Cali."

"We skipped," he said dryly. "Dad wanted to make sure you're ok, but he had some meeting he couldn't get out of. He said he'd come up when he can."

"We? Is Ryle here, too?"

"Yeah, he's around here... somewhere..."

"You lost him again?" she laughed.

"Eh, he'll turn up."

"Well, come inside—you need to meet my friends!"

She pulled him inside by the hand.

"Guys, this is my big brother, Luca. Luca, this is Martin and Diana."

Luca was tall, slender, and still possessed a light tan from the summer, like Laelani, with dirty blonde hair that fell around but not in his jade green eyes. He wore black jeans, black converse, and a black dress shirt, untucked, with the top two buttons undone.

"You're the one who saved her," he addressed Martin.

"Yeah," Martin nodded.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister," he said gratefully, shaking his hand.

"Of course."

Luca turned to Diana.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

"O-oh, um, yeah," Diana stammered, blushing.

"_Luca!_" Laelani yanked his hair.

"Ow! What?!"

"Go find Ryle," she pointed to the door, sighing.

"All right, all right," he grinned, mussing her hair.

"Luca!"

He laughed, dodging a blow and dashing out.

"I'll be back with Ryle!" he called, running down the hall.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Diana said, a dreamy expression still on her face.

"I have two," she said. "Luca and Ryle are twins, like Kaila and I are. Luca's more serious than Ryle. They're both overprotective. And I think I know how you felt when I told you I liked Martin."

"What—"

"I'm not blind, Diana," she grinned. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"W-well, uh, I'm gonna… go… clean up…."

"Easy on the makeup!" Laelani called after her. "He likes a more natural look!"

"How natural?" Diana popped her head back in.

Laelani laughed.

"Just throw on some gloss and a thin coat of mascara. Maybe a _little_ eyeliner."

"Thanks, Lae," Diana smiled, leaving again.

"Are you going to tell your family about us?" Martin asked, pulling Laelani into his lap.

"Is there an us to tell about?" she asked, looking up at him innocently.

"What?" he blinked. "What are you—"

"I don't recall you asking."

He gave her an 'are-you-serious?' stare. She just grinned back, and he sighed.

"All right, Lae. Will you go out with me?"

"Maybe."

"What?" he blinked again; that was _not_ what she was supposed to say.

She giggled.

"I'm kidding. Of course I will," she gave him an Eskimo kiss, followed by a brief kiss on the lips.

"Good," he grinned, pulling her in for another kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

Laelani sighed, pushing herself off of Martins chest to pull her ringing iPhone from her pocket. She glanced at the screen before answering it and lifting it to her ear.

"You find him?"

"_Yeah, we're in front of the science building."_

"'Kay-kay! Be there soon!"

She didn't wait for his response before hanging up. She jumped off the bed, grinning at Martin.

"Luca found Ryle!"

She grabbed his hand and yanked him up and out the door, denying him a chance to reply. She paused at Diana's door; she was going to bring her along, but she could hear the shower running. She hesitated only a split second before taking off again, shooting her friend a text along the way.

"Ryle!"

Ryle turned just in time to catch Laelani as she launched herself into his arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. He laughed, hugging her tightly. Behind him, Laelani saw Jeni, fuming; Ryle had been talking to her when Laelani had found him.

"How come you didn't greet me like that?"

Laelani took a step back and turned to Luca with a grin.

"Because Ryle's sweet and indulgent and you're a stick-in-the-mud prick."

"Thanks, sis," he said drily, sighing.

"Welcome!" she quipped, throwing her arms around his neck

Luca's frown turned upside-down, a small smile immediately forming in its stead as he hugged his little sister. Laelani stepped back, smiling up at him for a second before turning back to Ryle and Martin.

"Ryle, this is Martin, my, uh," she blushed, biting her lip, "my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Ryle grinned, his eyebrows arching as he shook Martin's hand. "Why am I just now hearing about this?"

"It's a new development," she mumbled, shifting from foot to foot.

"I see," he nodded. "You're the one that saved her from those assholes?"

"Yeah," Martin nodded, shoving a hand in his pocket while reaching for Laelani's hand with his other. She slid her hand in his, letting him pull her to his side.

"Well, thanks for taking care of her," Ryle smiled. "I trust you'll continue to do so—"

"He better," Luca growled, glaring pointedly at Martin.

"Of course I will," Martin slid his arm around her and pulled her even closer, looking down at her fondly. "She's everything to me."

"Martin…." She blushed, casting her eyes downward shyly.

"What?"

She could hear the laughter in his voice, and glared up at him, the pout on her lips only causing his grin to widen.

"You're cute when you do that."

Her scowl deepened, and he laughed. She buried her face in his chest in an attempt to hide both her blush and her smile.

"Aren't they gross?"

Laelani glared at Diana, sticking her tongue out at her as she approached.

"Hey, Diana," Luca smiled at her.

"Hey," she smiled back, blushing slightly.

Ryle rolled his eyes at his brother before offering Diana his hand.

"Ryle," he introduced himself.

"Diana."

"Laelani!"

Laelani turned to se Dr. Walowitz running toward them.

"Hey, Dr. Walowitz!" she grinned. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much—I just wanted to let you know that you and Martin are cleared for a two-week vacation!"

"Oh, wow! Thank you so much!" she squealed.

"Don't mention it!" he said cheerfully. "Just use it wisely."

"We will," she promised.

"Good. I'll see you when you get back, then!"

"'Kay!" she nodded, waving as he walked away.

"Vacation?" Ryle and Luca asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," Laelani nodded, turning toward them. "Dr. Walowitz is our psychology professor and the school psychologist, and he thought that after the trauma of last night Martin and I could use a vacation."

"Where are you gonna go?" Ryle asked.

"I was thinking home, at least for part of it, but Martin and I haven't really talked much about it—"

"Anywhere's fine with me, Lae," Martin grinned.

"There's nowhere you want to go?" she blinked, tilting her head. "Not home?"

"Home is _not_ a vacation," he shook his head.

"Ok," she giggled. "But you're ok with going—"

"Anywhere you want."

"Ok," she giggled again, wrapping her arms around him.

Diana scrunched up her nose at the couple in front of her.

"Gross."

* * *

A little short-I apologize-but I wanted to get this out to you ASAP. Reviews are much appreciated! :)


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